In our industrial society, devices often contain substances that may leak or spill undesirably onto other devices, personnel, or the environment. For example, batteries may be stored on battery racks or other structures where the batteries serve as a backup power supply for data communication centers and computers. These batteries may contain acidic or alkaline substances that may leak or spill onto other batteries, cables, equipment, and other devices as well as personnel, thereby posing a hazard to people and property. Sulfuric acid, commonly found in batteries, is an extremely hazardous material regulated by the federal, state and local governments. With respect to batteries, Article 64 of the Uniform Fire Code requires a four-inch high containment barrier with an acid neutralization capability to a pH of 7-9. Similarly, other devices may need containment systems. Such devices include but are not limited to air conditioning units that may drip water from condensation or leak freon, or water heaters that may leak water.
Therefore, it is desirable to contain leaks and spills from hazardous devices such as batteries. While spill containment systems exist, the existing systems need to be improved. For example, storage space for battery backup systems is precious and as companies become increasingly dependent on computers, their need for storing a greater number of batteries increases. Thus, companies utilizing battery backup systems would like to be able to store as many batteries as they can in their space, such as a warehouse or basement.
Further, batteries require regular maintenance and servicing. Some batteries need to be replaced, while others need to be tested. In the United States, Article 64 of the Uniform Fire Code mandates that a battery spill barrier be at least 4 inches high. Sometimes the high barrier gets in the way of people trying to remove a battery, testing the battery, maintaining the battery, or otherwise accessing the battery. Additionally, some batteries are heavy so fork lifts and heavy equipment lifting devices are used to lift the battery out or install the battery in a backup system.
Lastly, companies have widely diverse battery backup systems and warehouse rooms. Some rooms will have columns; others will have non-rectangular areas. Battery spill containment systems preferably should be able to be installed in virtually any of these diverse rooms.
Therefore, it is desirable to have improved designs of a battery spill containment system that permits a greater number of batteries to be stored in a given space, easy access to the batteries, and modularity of design.